Richard's Microfit "Marksman" stock

[long40shot]

Does anyone have one of these stocks. I would like to see a picture(s) of some.

Thanks
Matt

 

[Tommie]

Dude. Just so you know: that company's stocks are anything BUT "microfit". Plan on lots of whittling and cutting to inlet the action into the stock. I bought one. It was my first and last.

 

[js2013]

I've used several of their laminates and like them. Like the poster above stated you'll need to do hours work, inletting, sanding, finishing etc. but if you put the time in you'll be rewarded with a very nice stock. I never used the Marksman but can send a pic of the target stock I did if you wish. They also have some nice pics on their website.

 

[watercam]

I had one and liked it to a point. The picture on their website is representative and it is the same as Winchester's Target rifle stocks (google an image). For my needs as a Long Range competitor the pistol grip was too short and not vertical enough. Their Culbertson target stock has more meat in the butt stock area to allow modification to fit your needs.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Richard'a Micro-Fir stocks are known as a "gunsmiths stock" because of the work needed to get a good fit and finish. IMHO, and I've only had/worked with maybe a dozen of them so what do I know? Well worth the $$ for what you get and one of the better deals out there.
Best stock for the styles and cost available. Know going forward that you may need to do a little or a lot of work to get the proper fit and finish. I've received them looking 99% ready to go to WTF is this?
Any work you put into the fit and finish make the stock YOURS and something to be proud of.

 

[flatlander]

I agree with NorCalMikie's assessment of the Richard's stocks. I've bought a few of them for myself & at least one I can recall for a customer's rifle. This guy is retired, and really enjoyed doing the work on his stock - which was in desert sunset color - while I rebarreled his M700 in 280AI. We decided burnt bronze cerakote would look good with the finished desert sunset stock - I still think his rifle is one of the best looking ones I've put together.

 

[Big Mc]

Does anyone have one of these stocks. I would like to see a picture(s) of some.

Thanks
Matt

For the money they are great. Plan on lots of sand paper and Tru_Oil. Just My Two Cents.. Tommy Mc

 

[long40shot]

I've heard the stocks need quite a bit of work to get to a finished product. I'm not really worried about the action not fitting, the gun will be put together by my smith, so he can finish up the inletting. So looks like the Marksman stock is a close copy of the old winchester target stocks? It really looks just like what I'm wanting. More pictures please! Thank you for your input so far guys.

Matt

 

[js2013]

Someone emailed me for a pic so I thought I'd add it here in case anyone else wants to see.
It's a RMF thumbhole target that was in their Bargain list so it was cheap. Its got it share of scratches and dings over the years but it's solid/stable as a rock. I'm a hack so anyone with any skill could do it a better job, but it works for me.

 

[NorCalMikie]

I'm a hack so anyone with any skill could do it a better job, but it works for me.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so with that in mind, You did REAL GOOD!!

Somebody mentioned True Oil. That works fine but for a knock out finish, try Automotive Clear Coat. True Oil tends to darken the laminates. Auto Clear makes the colors JUMP OUT". A bit expensive but tough as nails.

 

[JLT]

I have one of the Marksman stocks on my .260AI '03A3 Springfield. I'll echo the previous observations . . . you're signing up for quite a bit of fit and finish work, but it's worth it IMHO. The Marksman is a very substantial stock - it's no lightweight - very well-suited for prone and bench work. There's plenty of extra wood to allow for shaping to your particular needs and preferences. You may want to have a rasp or two handy in addition to the sandpaper for some of the shaping.

 

[flatlander]

Someone emailed me for a pic so I thought I'd add it here in case anyone else wants to see.
It's a RMF thumbhole target that was in their Bargain list so it was cheap. Its got it share of scratches and dings over the years but it's solid/stable as a rock. I'm a hack so anyone with any skill could do it a better job, but it works for me.

js2013 - Is that a H&R M12/5400 rifle hiding in that lovely stock? I got one NIB from the CMP years ago, and liked it a lot - except for the club of a stock it came with. Was seriously considering buying a Culbertson prone stock from Richards for it, but a friend who is an excellent LR prone shooter advised me to just trade the H&R off towards a nice used Anschutz, which I did.

 

[js2013]

Flatlander - Good eyes, yes it is an M12! I also got it from the CMP, $250 new with Palma sights, those were the days! Probably the same deal you got. It shoots decent, not in the league of a KK300 or a good annie but its still a heck of a lot of fun.

 

[M-61]

Their return policy is 1st rate.
I was not capable/willing to put that amount of work into the stock. I am not a woodworker. It looked fine but....

 

[Marksman]

I bought one. Like noted, they are rough, but I'm a woodworker and not one to bitch. The wood was also rather porous, so I used some bone black to fill the pores. I really like the marksman style overall. In the photo the barrel channel is hogged out to 1" and it still has plenty of room.

 

[boltman223]

Be prepared to wait. Mine took at least 12 weeks and it was just regular Remington stock.

 

[Tommie]

So to sum it up: for persons who are willing, capable and own all the necessary tools to properly inlet a stock (and smooth out a cobby exterior) a Richards Microfit stock is a great way to go. For the rest of us, there are much better options.

 

[Shynloco]

Be prepared to wait. Mine took at least 12 weeks and it was just regular Remington stock.

That is only true if one of their cutting machines goes down as they are on the older side and parts come from Sweden or some other European country. And it can also depend on existing orders in progress as they aren't a very big business (physically) but are one of the biggest worldwide producer of stocks. I have (or have had) several of their stocks and like others have said, they are actually only about 90% finished and they'll need work and final finishing. Over the years, I've walked into their shop, picked out a nice block of wood and they cut and inletted for me in about a week. I've also ordered a few BR stocks over the photo and had them within a a few weeks and other times a month or two. But for what you get and the cost, it's well worth the investment. And like M61 wrote, if you don't like what they send you, ship it back and you'll get a timely refund. My Gunsmith finishes all my stocks and has used Richards as a supplier for several years He's worked hundreds of their stocks and I've seen many which have turned out to be simply beautiful. Again for the money, you'd be hard pressed to find another stock maker whose stocks are of the strength and quality they produce. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Alex

 

[Toolbreaker]

I bought one. Like noted, they are rough, but I'm a woodworker and not one to bitch. The wood was also rather porous, so I used some bone black to fill the pores. I really like the marksman style overall. In the photo the barrel channel is hogged out to 1" and it still has plenty of room.

Now, that's nice. I'm a sucker for the traditional look. What grade (A, AA, ect) did you use for that stock?

 

[flatlander]

Flatlander - Good eyes, yes it is an M12! I also got it from the CMP, $250 new with Palma sights, those were the days! Probably the same deal you got. It shoots decent, not in the league of a KK300 or a good annie but its still a heck of a lot of fun.

js2013 - I bought my M12 w/o sights for $225 - don't recall whether I had the option of getting with sights or not. Date on my CMP invoice is 10/30/00, and it was in 'condition C'. I kept it long enough to realize that the stock's shape didn't fit me well in prone, and was looking at Richards Microfit for a stock, as they were the only ones I could find who were inletting for this action. I bet they sold a lot of stock blanks for those M12s - have seen several finished ones posted on various shooting forums over the past 16yrs, and most - like yours - were very attractive. However, the Anschutz Mac Tilton picked out & traded me for is a 1611 that's had an extremely fine, professional job of action bedding done, and came with a set of Anschutz sights. The 1611 stock has an adjustable cheekpiece, and is pretty much a ringer for the Robertson H&H prone stocks my LR prone rifles have, so it was a great trade. So many times when I've let a rifle or handgun go in a trade, I've lived to regret it - and that would certainly have been the case again with the H&R if the Anschutz hadn't turned out to be such a fine rifle.